The Writers Hangout

Hulu's documentary PRETTY BABY: Brooke Shields reminds Sandy she spent time on the set of SUDDENLY SUSAN, the NBC half-hour sitcom, and walked away disappointed in something Brooke did to Kathy Griffin. 

Terry asks a simple question that reminds Sandy of one of her biggest regrets. 

 You don't have to have watched PRETTY BABY: Brooke Shields to listen to this episode. 

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Did you know there was another SUPER MARIO BROS MOVIE besides the animated blockbuster with Chris Pratt, Anya Taylor-Joy, Charlie Day, Jack Black, Keegan-Michael Key, Seth Rogen, and Fred Armisen? The first SUPER MARIO BROS. MOVIE hit theaters in 1993 and was the first feature-length live-action film based on a video game. It follows brothers Mario Mario (Bob Hoskins) and Luigi Mario (John Leguizamo) in their quest to rescue Princess Daisy (Samantha Mathis) from a dystopic parallel universe ruled by the ruthless King Koopa (Dennis Hopper), directed by the husband-and-wife team Rocky Morton and Annabel Jankel. Unfortunately, it was a box office failure, and critics hated it. The credits list three writers Parker Bennett, Terry Runté, and Ed Solomon.

Why did one MARIO movie succeed when the other MARIO movie didn’t? That’s the big question Sandy and Terry tackle in this episode.  

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For today’s episode, we have a follow-up on Season One, Episode 61 entitled Can A.I. Write A Screenplay With Filmmakers Jon and Matt Firman, it came out last month.  You don’t have to go back and listen to episode 61, but things will make more sense if you do.  In the A.I. episode, we explored the benefits of using AI to help writers manage their process from idea to script and spoke to the creators of  Story Prism a suite of AI-powered writing tools to help creators flesh out their stories.  

In this episode, we dive into how the WGA, Aaron Sorkin and you feel about A.I.-assisted writing and more!

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You never know when your big break will happen.  In this episode co-host Terry Sampson share how he landed his big break compliments of Harold Ramis. 

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The PAGE International Screenwriting Awards sponsors the WRITERS' HANGOUT.
Executive Producer Kristin Overn
Producer Sandy Adomaitis
Producer/Engineer Terry Sampson
Music by Ethan Stoller

We have a terrific show for you with today’s guests Jon and Matt Firman who are Baltimore, MD-based indie filmmakers. After spending more than eight years immersed in the local film community, brothers Jon and Matt saw a  need for writers to have an easier way of turning their ideas into stories.  So, the brothers decided to explore the benefits of using AI to help writers manage their process from idea to script, which led them to develop Story Prism a suite of AI-powered writing tools to help creators flesh out their stories. 

Writers, AI writing is not your dad’s spellcheck it is way more powerful, and I would be curious to know how you feel as writers felt about AI assistants with your writing after you listen to what Matt and Jon have to say.  Send an email to  [email protected] or dm us on Instagram instagram.com/thewritershangoutpodcast/

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💙 If you have an idea for the podcast or would like to make a comment please contact us @[email protected] 

The PAGE International Screenwriting Awards sponsors the WRITERS' HANGOUT.
Executive Producer Kristin Overn
Producer Sandy Adomaitis
Producer/Engineer Terry Sampson
Music by Ethan Stoller

One of our most listened to episodes.  Two PAGE Awards Judges, Victoria Lucas and Laurie Ashbourne, talk about how they evaluate your screenplays, whether you're just starting or have a script in the competition. You do not want to miss this inside talk.

⭐️ Laurie Ashbourne began her film career in Disney animation, and over the past 20 years, she has worked as a story consultant, writer, and producer for Disney, Amazon, and many independent producers. She has over 30 features and short films to her credit, including her new family feature CHRISTMAS TIME, which is currently in post-production. As a PAGE judge, Laurie reviews scripts in several different genre categories, including Family Films, Comedies, Dramas, and Shorts.

⭐️ Victoria Lucas is an independent producer who has developed scripts for projects starring Antonio Banderas, Scarlett Johansson, Wesley Snipes, and Hilary Swank. Among her favorite projects is the highly acclaimed coming-of-age film, The Island on Bird Street, awarded the Silver Bear at the Berlin International Film Festival. Victoria is also a Judge for the PAGE Awards contest, in a variety of genres including Drama and Historical Films

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📸 Check out our IG for photos @thewritershangoutpodcast

💙 If you have an idea for the podcast or would like to make a comment please contact us @[email protected] 

The PAGE International Screenwriting Awards sponsors the WRITERS' HANGOUT.
Executive Producer Kristin Overn
Producer Sandy Adomaitis
Producer/Engineer Terry Sampson
Music by Ethan Stoller

PAGE International Screenwriting Awards 
Hollywood’s favorite screenwriting contest -- one of the industry's top sources for new talent.

Our guest is screenwriter Matias Caruso who lives in Argentina.  Matias taught himself English and how to write screenplays — and after writing and working hard to develop his craft, he wrote an absolutely stunning script called CARNIVAL that won our Grand Prize in 2014.  After his win, Carnival was optioned by a PAGE judge and signed by an agent.  Matias continues to live in Argentina, and he never moved to the States; he has since had a couple of movies (MAYHEM and WITCH) produced.  

WORDPLAY: Pro screenwriting secrets from working screenwriters Terry Rossio & Ted Elliott -- wordplayer.com

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📸 Check out our IG for photos @thewritershangoutpodcast

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PAGE International Screenwriting Awards 
Hollywood’s favorite screenwriting contest -- one of the industry's top sources for new talent.

We continue to celebrate the 20th anniversary of our sponsor, The PAGE International Screenwriting Awards, with our guest Angela Bourassa. Angela won the Gold Prize in the Science Fiction category for her script EVERYTHING IS RIGHT UNTIL IT'S WRONG, and under its new title, TURN ME ON; the movie was filmed last year, produced by Truant Pictures and Blue Creek Pictures, directed by Michael Tyburski, and starring Bel Powley and Nick Robinson. It's now in post-production.  

 In addition, Angela's movies IF YOU WERE THE LAST and BLACK BAGS have also recently been produced, and IF YOU WERE THE LAST is premiering at SXSW next month.

 If you enjoy the show, please remember to follow us and leave a review where you listen to podcasts. 

📸 Check out our IG for photos @thewritershangoutpodcast

💙 If you have an idea for the podcast or would like to comment, please contact us @[email protected] 

We're going to pause on interviewing the PAGE Award-winning screenwriter series to bring you the latest on the Thelma Todd murder mystery we talked about last December.  If you haven't listened to the two-part episode called Thelma Todd's Inexplicable Death In Hollywood's Golden Age, I highly recommend you go back and listen.  The episodes aired on December 4th and 11th of 2022.  

Of all the screenwriter crime stories we have discussed on The Writers' Hangout, the Thelma Todd story is the one people comment about most.  So, we put together a panel, including a Forensic death investigator, Kyle Finney, a True Crime fanatic JudyTrueCrime, and co-host Terry Sampson.  We discuss the case through the lens of modern-day forensics and give our opinions on what happened.  

👍 If you enjoy the show, please remember to follow us and leave a review where you listen to podcasts. 

📸 Check out our IG for photos @thewritershangoutpodcast

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It is Super Bowl LVII weekend, and we have a treat for you. Our guest is television writer Jason Gavin, who got his big break when he got staffed on a show called Friday Night Lights. Kristin Iversen of Nylon wrote, "Friday Night Lights had achieved a rare trifecta in the world of prestige television: critical acclaim, cultishly adoring fans, and a genuinely wide audience (which, sadly, it didn't have when it aired on network television, but what are you going to do).'

 Jason's other credits include ROYAL PAINS, HAWAII FIVE-O, and ROSWELL, NEW MEXICO. Jason is a co-executive producer on the much-anticipated return of DARK WINDS, the number-one show on AMC+, and one of the executive producers on MARVEL's ECHO, out this summer.

Jason talks about his first time in a writers' room; a fender-bender he got into as a writers' PA on NASH BRIDES and more.